On-Farm Energy and Electrification Demonstration program questions and answers

Project applications must focus on energy projects and demonstrations on-farm that support a primary production enterprise. This does include activities such as on-farm processing where the processing occurs as part of the farm business.

Projects focused on food processing, supply chain operations or transport activities that occur at facilities or locations not primarily used for primary production are not eligible, even where they form part of the broader agriculture supply chain. For example, an energy upgrade at an on-farm milk processing facility may be eligible, whereas an upgrade at a standalone food manufacturing plant, packing facility, distribution centre or transport depot would not be eligible.

National or interstate industry organisations may apply, so long as the demonstration farm site is located within Victoria and can demonstrate:

• a clear Victorian industry or regional demand
• that demonstrations will be targeted to a Victorian industry audience.

Yes, project applications that include solar PV, battery technology or related infrastructure may be eligible. The project must address a specific agricultural or on-farm operational need and deliver clear benefits to the farm business.

Projects should also demonstrate a level of innovation, a tailored or integrated farm system solution, or an application that is not yet widely adopted within the industry. Standard off-the-shelf installations that do not demonstrate these features are unlikely to be competitive.

Applicants must fully disclose any co-funding arrangements, discounts or rebates received through Australian Government or state government programs.

New-to-market technologies are technologies that are commercially available for deployment but are not yet widely adopted within the Victorian agriculture sector or a particular agriculture industry.

Technologies that are still in feasibility, testing, product development, or research and development phase, or that require significant additional testing, are not eligible.

If you are unsure if the technology you are considering for the project is eligible, please reach out to Agenergy@agriculture.vic.gov.au

While you may not be able to apply individually or as a leading applicant for funding, you may be able to partner with other eligible organisations to participate in project delivery and outcomes.

For example, grant funding is not available to individual farmers or producers, but a farming business may partner with an industry organisation to host the farm demonstration site for a project. This is to ensure the project delivers strong industry impact and knowledge-sharing outcomes beyond an individual farm business.

If you are unsure if your entity or project is eligible, please reach out to Agenergy@agriculture.vic.gov.au with some brief details about the proposed project and your organisation.

DEECA recognises that agriculture businesses may face challenges when deploying renewable energy projects across farm properties, including requirements relating to electricity distribution networks, private power lines crossing property boundaries, metering arrangements and connection points to the electricity network.

Projects may demonstrate solutions to these challenges, including approaches such as embedded networks, virtual net metering or microgrids, but must do so within existing regulatory frameworks to ensure safety and equity, and avoid unintended consequences.

Applicants and any delivery partners are responsible for understanding and meeting all current legislative, regulatory and network requirements.

No. SmartFarms is a Victorian Government-operated initiative and is not eligible to apply for funding under this program.

By supporting industry-led delivery through trusted networks, the program aims to broaden the range of organisations delivering demonstration activities and reach audiences not previously engaged through existing government-led initiatives, including SmartFarms.

Successful applicants will have up to 12 months from the date of signing the funding agreement to install, commission and fully implement the technology. Following commissioning, applicants will have a further 12 months to undertake demonstration activities and collect, showcase and communicate project outcomes.

Demonstration activities may include case studies, media content, webinars, site visits and other extension activities, and can be funded through the grant during this period. Any demonstration activities undertaken beyond the funded 12-month demonstration period will be at the applicant's expense.

Organisations may partner with private farm landowners to establish project demonstration sites. However, project funding cannot be paid directly to landowners. A participating organisation agreement will be required and agreed to by all organisations including private landowners, as part of the project funding agreement with the department (we will provide a template during funding agreement negotiations).

Yes, this is a key component of the project objectives and assessment criteria for eligible organisations to apply.

Applicants need to demonstrate their capability and capacity to undertake project demonstration, knowledge sharing, promotional or extension activities, including case studies, webinars/seminars, site tours, presentations, media content etc. Project participants may also be requested to provide information or data to contribute to any government promotional or educational content regarding the program.

Organisations are expected to undertake these activities for up to 12 months following completion of the project and these activities can be funded through program grant funding. Any private landowners involved in hosting demonstration sites must also agree to participate in promotional or demonstration activities, including access to property for site visits as necessary, through the participating organisation agreement.

Successful applicants will be expected to collect and report data that demonstrates the outcomes of their project. This may include energy consumption data, energy cost savings, renewable energy generation, fuel displacement, productivity impacts, emissions reductions, return on investment, operational benefits, labour or time savings, implementation impacts and other lessons learned.

Specific reporting requirements will be outlined in the funding agreement.

Yes. A key objective of the program is to generate and share evidence that supports broader industry adoption of energy technologies. Successful applicants should expect to share project findings and performance information, although commercial-in-confidence and personal information will be managed appropriately.

Smaller scale projects of less than $200,000 will be considered, particularly for organisations representing smaller sectors, but must still demonstrate strong sector demand and impact.

Yes, funding can support salary and consultancy costs where they are clearly attributable to the project and where personnel are directly engaged in its delivery. Funding used for staff, project management or consultants must be reasonable and proportionate to the project budget and organisation.

The application should clearly indicate FTE or consultant requirements in the project budget template.

Project funding may support energy infrastructure upgrades that are necessary to enable the implementation and operation of an eligible project. This can include distribution network upgrades, 3-phase power upgrades, switchboard upgrades, mains cabling, protection systems, connection works and other electrical infrastructure required to support the installation and operation of the proposed technology.

For example, funding may support a 3-phase power upgrade required to operate a new electric irrigation pump.

Cash co-contribution is not required to receive funding as part of this program. However, a 50% co-contribution is strongly recommended, particularly if the project requires significant asset acquisition for the site.

Any co-contribution will be considered as part of the project plan and business case assessment criteria. If a 50% co-contribution is not provided, please provide details in your application, justifying the reason for either a lower value cash contribution or no contribution.

Cash contribution can be provided by a different funding source or participating organisation; details of co-contribution sources must be detailed in the project budget template.

In-kind contribution is a non-cash contribution that will directly support project delivery. It can include goods, professional services, use of machinery or equipment, facilities, materials or staff time provided by the applicant or a project partner at no cost.

Applications should provide as much detail of estimated in-kind contributions as possible in the relevant section of the project budget template.

Yes, applicants may use other government-funded rebates, subsidies, or incentives in conjunction with this program. However, funding from this program cannot be used to cover costs that are planned to be covered by other government funding sources.

Successful applicants will be required to disclose details of any other government funding, rebates, subsidies or incentives that relate to the proposed project. This includes identifying the funding source, the amount received or applied for, and the project costs to which it relates. The Department will assess this information to ensure there is no duplication of funding for the same costs.

Successful applicants will be required to retain records of expenditure for auditing purposes that are required to be undertaken at the final financial milestone of the contract. This may include:

• Tax invoices
• Receipts
• Timesheets
• Position descriptions
• Bank transfers or bank statements

The Department reserves the right to cancel the grant and, if applicable, recoup any payment that has already been provided where:

• a project is delayed for an unreasonable length of time
• substantive changes to scope are made after funding has been approved, without prior approval of the Department
• a project fails to be delivered,

Failure to comply with the project funding agreement in any way may impact the organisations’ eligibility to apply and receive funding from other Victorian State government grant programs.

Yes. When you open a new application via the GEMS Portal, click ‘View as PDF’ (bottom of page), which will display the entire application form as a PDF. You can download, print and share this form as needed.

You can also save and review any part of your application form at any time before submission.

If you would like assistance navigating the application portal, please email grantsinfo@deeca.vic.gov.au and quote your application number.

Yes, applicants can submit questions to Agenergy@agriculture.vic.gov.au no later than 5 pm (AEDT), 7 calendar days before the applications period closes.

If Agriculture Victoria can provide a response to the question without breaching probity conditions this will be published as an update to the FAQs for all participants to access.

The program is designed to support knowledge sharing while respecting and protecting cultural knowledge and information. Grant recipients will not be required to publicly disclose culturally sensitive, confidential or Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) information.

Any project outcomes shared through program communications, case studies or events will be developed in consultation with the grant recipient and only include information that has been approved for public release. Appropriate cultural protocols and permissions will be followed to ensure culturally sensitive information remains protected.

Yes. While energy outcomes are a key focus of the program, broader project benefits or co-benefits are also an important consideration for project assessment.

Applicants are encouraged to clearly describe any broader co-benefits their project is expected to deliver, including benefits for First Peoples communities, community capacity building or other positive impacts. These co-benefits will be considered alongside the project's energy outcomes as part of the overall assessment.